A call center dialer is an application that automates outbound calls. It comes in different types – all configurable and usually integrated with your CRM system. A call center dialer is one of the best tools to have when you make a lot of outbound calls. It is not just a dialer for call centers. It can potentially improve the productivity of your agent or salesperson. If you’re a start-up with only a handful of employees or a big operation, you can benefit from using a call center dialer. The key is to choose the best type of dialer for your needs.
Contact preview: Users can view information about the contact they’re calling; aggregated contact information pops-up to provide context for the sales call.
Dialer-CRM integration: Dialer software integrates to users’ CRM system to pull in contact information and/or add information about calls into CRM records.
Built-in CRM: Dialer includes some built-in CRM features.
Social media integration: Dialer integrates to social media to pull in background info on contacts from social profiles.
SI database integration: Dialer integrates to third-party databases for additional sales intelligence information
Notes & tags: Users can take notes and create tags based on phone conversations; used for organizing/prioritizing contacts and contributes to SI.
Automatic call logging: Dialer automatically logs all calls (successful/attempted).
Dialers collect a large amount of information about the agents handling calls and place outbound calls just before the agent become available. They automatically dial several contacts at the same time until one answers; and then transfers the call to the most appropriate agent.
There’s no way around it. Making sales calls all day long is hard work. Management spends painstaking hours tweaking their motivational techniques, attending sales seminars and investing in technology so that their sales team can convert more leads faster. Sales agents grind the phone lines day in and day out while skillfully establishing rapport and pushing their product with relative ease. Why not enhance this process by optimizing your call center dialers?
This is where most small to medium businesses start. There’s no reason to rush into a capital expenditure until you’ve outgrown manual. Allowing agents to choose who to call, on what number and when, gives them the autonomy and responsibility that many sales people need to succeed.
Like the click-to-call option, preview dialers also allow agents to review all of the prospect’s information so they can prepare for the conversation before the call. This is often the best option for sensitive calls like collections, inside sales calls, etc.
If you already have a robust CRM system, integrating a click-to-call feature will allow your sales agents to just click on the phone number in your CRM to make an outbound call. It is slow compared to a power dialer, but all the information about the prospect is right there so agents can more effectively sell and upsell while on the call. Also, any information gained on the call goes directly into your system-wide database that your team can use to follow up on later.
Predictive dialers collect a large amount of information about the agents handling calls and place outbound calls just before the agent become available. They automatically dial several contacts at the same time until one answers; and then transfers the call to the most appropriate agent. These dialers can dramatically reduce idle time and increase efficiency and therefore are great for small sales forces that need to maximize the time they spend on the phone. They can be more expensive than click-to-call options, but are well worth the investment.
